The first step in assessing the situation is gaining information, and the initial meet can be a wealth of information both directly and indirectly.
Ask your Johnson[]
Sometimes the Johnson will provide information on the facility you are targeting. Sometimes they don't. What they generally don't advertise is the fact that their planning specialists have come up with a plan already to infiltrate the target, but that it would be too expensive for them (not only monetary, but also from a PR and corporate politics perspective) to undertake themselves. This also can serve as a gauge of the professionalism of the Johnson... the higher-ranking experienced Johnsons typically are trusted enough or savvy enough to know more details of the mission than the green inexperienced Johnsons or the "independent" contractors. Barring a preset plan (which may or may not be available for a price), sometimes you can ask your Johnson for supplying some intel while you are already on the job, but this option doesn't come cheap and will probably dock your pay (or at least, your bonuses).
This is not to say "Trust your Johnson". In fact, you should probably assume your Johnson is lying to you. But the Johnson's main goal is to complete some sort of agenda, and anything that would forward that agenda is helpful for his/her ultimate plan and goal.
- Use the Negotiations (Sense Motive) or Interrogation (Verbal Interviewing) skill as a primary skill to see if you think the Johnson is lying or hiding something. Corporate Politics or a similar skill may or may not help you as a complementary skill.
- Use the Negotiations (Fast Talk) or Interrogation (Verbal Interviewing) skill as a primary skill to weedle out more information about your target from the Johnson (if he has any).
Follow your Johnson[]
Knowing who wants the gadget/target is almost as good as knowing about the target itself. Being caught following your Johnson can risk giving your group a bad reputation in corporate circles, but it's standard practice among some shadowrun teams. An inexpensive and effective method is astral projection, especially if the Johnson skimped on the Astral Overwatch. A rigger drone is also a good way to follow and track a Johnson, although many of them will head indoors or hand-off cars soon after the meet to discourage pursuit. Another way to "follow" your Johnson is to take details that you know about the Johnson and ask around on Shadowland or through a Matrix search.
Matrix Searches[]
- General simple searches are usually worthless. Sometimes if the Johnson is a public figure, it will reveal something.
- General standard searches will reveal possible corporations or entities that the Johnson is working for, or Fixers that have worked with the Johnson in the past.
- General complex searches will reveal possible documents and intel pertaining to the job at hand. If you get enough successes, you may even reveal past identities or the current identity of this particular Johnson.
Any of these searches can be done as a specific search on a particular corporate database, if you have access to it.
The Short Version[]
- Ask your Johnson about intel
- Ask your Johnson if there is a plan
- Follow your Johnson with a drone
- Follow your Johnson astrally
- Follow your Johnson's datatrail